Vibrator interrupter



Feb. 13, 1951 R. M. VOYLES 2,541,450

VIBRATOR INTERRUPTER Filed Aug. 9, 1946 JHM 5 11% I N V EN TOR. RICHARD M Voyzzs' Patented Feb. 13, 1951 VIBRATOR INTERRUPTER Richard M. Voyles, Indianapolis, Ind., assignor,

by mesne assignments, to Cornell-Dubilier Electric Corporation, South Plainfield, N. J a corporation of Delaware Application August 9, 1946, Serial No. 689,459

2 Claims. 1

My invention relates to improvements in electromagnetic vibrator interrupters, and more particularly to that type of vibratory interrupter adapted to open and close electrical contacts and which includes a vibratory member or reed carrying contacts which are rapidly opened and closed during the vibration of the reed.

It has for one of its objects the provision of a structure which, by means of a single vibrating structure, a two phase alternating current may be developed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a vibrating structure by which a high frequency alternating current may be developed by a vibrator operating at a relatively low frequency.

In one embodiment of my invention, a vibrating reed actuates four pairs (or a multiple thereof) of electrical contacts so that each pair closes and opens once during each cycle of the vibrating reed, provision being made so that the duration of contacts of all pairs of contacts is essentially equal and that the pairs close and open in succession at intervals substantially equal to one-fourth of a cycle of the vibrating reed, with the order of closing and opening being the same in all cycles.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will more fully appear in the accompanying specification and claims.

For the purpose of disclosing my invention, I have illustrated an embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a vibrator embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, looking in the opposite direction from Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a vibrator embodying my invention;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of a circuit, in which my vibrator may be used; and

Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8 are graphs, illustrating the relative movements of the contact carrying parts.

In the embodiment illustrated, I provide a frame I on which the component parts of the vibrator are mounted. This frame at its upper end is provided with a transversely extending arm 2 to which is secured the driving magnet 3. A center reed 4 carrying an armature 5 influenced by the magnet 3 is supported between a pair of suitable insulating blocks 6 and I and comprising a vibrating driving means for the contact fingers connected thereto. reed has attached thereto two compliant center reed contact fingers 8 and 9 disposed on the opposite faces of the reed and each of these contact This center ing bolts 22.

fingers carries a contact ID and comprising com pliant means connecting the contacts with the center reed. The center reed also carries a pair of stiff center reed contact fingers I l and 12, each carrying a contact l3, the contact fingers H and i2 being disposed on opposite faces of the center reed the fingers H and t2 thus provide noncoinpliant means carried thereby with the center reed. Cooperating with the stifi contact carrying fingers I l and I2 is a pair of compliant, relatively stationary contact arms l4 and 15, each carrying a contact l8 and comprising compliant contact supporting means, and cooperating with the compliant contact fingers 8 and 9 is a pair of relatively stationary, stifi contact arms I! and I8, each carrying a contact I9 and comprising substantially rigid supporting means for the contacts carried thereby.

The relatively stationary contact compliant arms 14 and i5 and the relatively stationary stiff contact arms I! and I8 are clamped between the insulating blocks 6 and I and insulating blocks 29 and 2|, the whole assembly being secured to the lower end of the frame I by suitable clamp- In addition to the above contacts, the center reed 4 also carries a driving contact arm 23 carrying a driving contact 24 adapted to engage a contact mounted on the driving contact post 25 bolted or otherwise secured to the frame I, the arrangement being such that when the reed 4 is in its neutral position, the contact arm 24 is in engagement with the contact on the post 25, thereby closing the circuit through the driving magnet 3. As soon, however, as the driving magnet 3 is energized, it causes the armature 5 to move in a direction to move the center reed and with it the driving contact 24 in a direction to open the contact between the driving magnet 24 and the contact on the post 25, thus opening the circuit of the driving magnet. Upon the opening of the circuit of the driving magnet, however, the center reed will of course swing back in the opposite direction, after it has completed its driven movement, thus closing the circuit of the driving magnet, and in this manner, the vibration of the center reed is accomplished.

It is to be noted that there is one compliant finger and one stiff finger on each side of the plane of the center reed and that each compliant finger is paired with a stiff side arm or vice versa. The compliant fingers and side arms have a resonant frequency essentially equal to that of the whole vibrating structure.

In the graph illustrated in Fig. 5, the heavy line 26 shows the center reed and stiff finger displacement relatively to the frame, while the lighter line 21 represents the velocity of the center reed relatively to the frame.

In Fig. 6, the heavy line 28 indicates the compliant finger displacement relative to the center reed and the lighter line 29 indicates the compliant fingervelocity relative to the center reed.

In the graph illustrated in ig. 7, the heavy line 3!] denotes the compliant finger displacement relative to the frame, while the lighter line 3| represents the velocity of the compliant finger relative to the frame, the dotted lines indicating the effect of the making of contact of the compliant finger with the stiff side arm.

In the graph shown in Fig. 8, the heavy line 32 indicates the displacement or" the compliant side arm with respect to the frame, while the lighter line 33 indicates the compliant side arm velocity relative to the frame, the dotted lines in this graph indicating th effect of the making of contact by a compliant side arm with a stiff con-- tact finger on the reed.

In the circuit arrangement illustrated in Fig. i, I'have shown one application of my invention in a circuit for developing a single phase alternating current at twice the frequency of the center reed. In this circuit arrangement, the primary winding of a transformer M has a center tap connected to a source 35 of direct current supply. This source may be in the form of a battery. One of the outer terminals of the primary winding is connected to the oppositely dis ed compliant contact arms is and while the opposite outer terminal of the primary winding 3 2 is connected to'th oppositely disposed stiff side arms ll and 18. The cen reed connected to the opposite terminal of the battery fhe driving magnet 3 has one terminal connected to the battery 35, while the opposite terminal is connected to the stationary post 25 normally in contact with the contact 24.

I-tmust be understood that while the center reed i stationary and therefore, in its neutral position, no contact is made between the various contacts of the vibrating interrupter (except of course the driving magnet contacts). With the center reed vibrating, there a certain amount of vibratory movement )parted to the compliant side arms, as a result of the impact of the stiff fingers with these side arms, and likewise there is a certain amount of vibratory movement set up in the compliant fingers, as a result of their impact during the vibratory movement of the center reed, with the stiff side arms, their primary movement however, being imparted by the movement of the center reed. Therefore, the contact is made and broken at approximately the neutral position of the vibratory reed during operation.

In operation, assuming that the center reed is vibrating and, assuming for the purpose of illustration, that the center reed is moving in the direction of the arrow, Fi s. 1 and 2, the stiff fingers l2 will move in phase with the center reed 4 making contact with flexible side arm 15, when the center reed i is approximately in its neutral position (time '7). It must be borne in mind that a result of the contacts between the still fingers with the compliant side arms, vibration has also been set up in the side arm 15 and, as a result of this vibration, the

side arm 15 has moved in the direction or the arrow past its neutral position. Accordingly, the engagement of the stiff finger l2 with the compliant side arm i5 is approximately at the neutral position of the center reed 4. At this instant of contact, the flexible side arm towards which the center reed is moving is in its position of maximum displacement, during its vibratory movement, towards the center reed. One-fourth of a cycle later (time B, Fig. 7), the center reed 4 and consequently the stiff finger I2 is in the position of extreme displacement and its velocity is zero, while the flexible side arm [5 with which the stiff finger i2 is in contact is in its position of zero displacement and maximum velocity away from the center reed. At this instant, with the center reed l reversing its movement, the contact will be broken.

Meanwhile, when the center reed 4 is approximately in the neutral position (time A, Fig. '7), the compliant finger 9, lagging the center reed by one-fourth of a cycle, is in a position of maximum displacement relative to the center reed toward the center reed. One-fourth of a cycle later (time B, Fig. "7), the compliant finger 9 is in a position of neutral displacement relative to the center reed and maximum velocity away from the center reed, while the center reed is at maximum displacement and zero velocity, reiative to the frame and the stiff side arms. At this instant, ich is essentially the same instant as when the d finger breaks contact with the compliant side arm, the compliant finger 9 will make contact with the stiff side arm it. After another onefourth cycle (time C, Fig. '1) the center reed will be approximat y in its neutral position, the compliant finger a will have zero velocity relative to the center reed and willhave a velocity relathe to the stiff side arm. Accordingly, at this instant, contact between the contacts on the compliant arm 5 and stiff arm it will be broken.

At approximately thisinstant (time 0, Fig. '7), the stiff finger It on the opposite side of the plane of the center reed will contact the contact on the compliant side arm l l, breaking contact approximately one-fourth of a cycle later (time D, Fig. i), at wl'iich time the contact on the adjacent compliant finger il will engage the stiff side arm il. -Finally, the end ofa full cycle (time A, Fig. '7), the compliant finger will break contact with the contact on its stiff side arm and thecycie will be repeated.

Accordingly, referringto Fig. i, when the reed is moved in the up position, stiff side arm l2 will first make contact with the contact on the compliant side arm 15 closing the circuit in one direction through the upperhalf of the primary 22 i. One-fourth of a cycle later, compliant finger 53 will make contact-with the stiff side arm l8,

closing the circuit in the opposite direction through the lower halfof the primary winding'M, and on the down-swing, substantially the same reversal will occur, thereby delivering through the transformer a two phase alternating current at the frequency of the vibrating reed.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a vibrating device, a vibrating reed, a pair of compliant contact fingers supported on the opposit faces of said reed, anda pair of noncompliant contact carrying arms disposed on the opposite sides of said reed and between which said compliant contact fingers operate, a pair of non-compliant contact fingers supported on'the opposite races of'said reedand a pair of compliant contact supporting arms disposed on the opposite sides of said vibrating reed and cooperating with said non-compliant contact carrying fingers supported on said reed.

'2. In a vibrating device, a vibrating reed, a pair of compliant contact fingers supported on the opposite faces of said reed and a pair of noncompliant contact carrying arms disposed on the 8 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Arnold June 4, 1946 Aust July 20, 1948 

